


Forget-Me-Nots

by needtosleepawhile



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Ending, Everybody Lives, Fluff, Love, M/M, Thilbo, Wedding Proposal, bagginshield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-07
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2018-03-10 20:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3302972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needtosleepawhile/pseuds/needtosleepawhile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It never felt like the right time until then.<br/>Full moon celebrations seemed as though they were to become a new tradition in the reborn dwarf Kingdom, and it only felt right to Bilbo that he should ask Thorin in front of everyone on such a night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forget-Me-Nots

It never felt like the right time until then.

Since Thorin had embraced Bilbo after the Eagles rescue, the pair had grown much closer. Every opportunity they had, they spend together and would talk. In the beginning their conversations were brief and filled with awkward silences that left the pair disappointed and frustrated. But eventually they began exchanging stories about their homes, memories of their childhood, songs and legends of their lands. Bilbo loved to hear Thorin talk in his low voiced that rumbled in his chest even when he mumbled, and Thorin enjoyed nothing more than listening to Bilbo sing a tune in his soft, warm voice. They would try to joke with one another, although it seemed it would be a long while yet before their contrasting senses of humour would find any common ground (or rather, Thorin found it difficult to let go of his role as the responsible, respectable, stoic leader, and no matter how much he enjoyed the Hobbit's musings he felt he could not produce more than a smirk, until they reached Dale).

Between the hug and the capture by the elves, the pair never intentionally touched. Accidental brushing of fingers when passing objects, and knocks of elbows while walking were frequent on their journey. But being separated by the cold cell bars left Bilbo feeling panicked at the thought of not being able to fully occupy the same space as the dwarf, and Thorin regretted not taking the hundreds of chances he had simply to take the hobbits hand freely. Bilbo, not being one to initiate anything further, would only stroke Thorins knuckles as they held hands through the bars in stolen moments. Thorin, however, once in a sudden fit of desperation pulled the hobbit closer so that their bodies pressed tight against the cell. He stroked Bilbo's cheek and held their foreheads together until they heard the sound of an approaching guard, and from that moment it pained their hearts to be too far away from each other.

When the company had finally reached Dale the pair began sleeping in the same bed, but only sleeping. Thorin had strong views about sharing a bed with someone before marriage especially as he was to be king, but that did not stop him from voicing his desires to the hobbit. Bilbo would watch Thorin as he slept, pushing the long, grey streaked hair away so he could see the aged, angular face of the dwarf. Bilbo often thought how childlike and similar to Kili Thorin looked when he slept, when his face was relaxed and the frown lines removed. The few times Thorin watched Bilbo sleep he always remembered the beginning, and wondered how he could have believed that such a person could be anything less than a star- something light and precious, but shining bright in the face of darkness.

After the defeat of Smaug and the victory in battle, the hobbit from The Shire and the King Under the Mountain were still strong in their affections, which every creature could see. However, Thorin was weak from his injuries, and his guilt strong from being overtaken with the treasure hoard. He hated how much he had blindly turned his back on the company and his people, and most importantly Bilbo. But Bilbo forgave his king- his silly, strong willed, hard headed dwarf. For weeks Thorin would only limp so far around the great halls of the kingdom before Bilbo- with the help of Dwalin, Fili, and Kili- would force the king back to his bed chamber.

Bilbo had decided to stay with Thorin in Erebor, but at one point returned to The Shire to collect his personal possessions and inform everyone that he was not dead. The Sackville-Bagginses were not pleased at all by the news that Bilbo would be leaving his home to his newly married relations, Drogo and Primula, but the hobbit did not care. He even went as far as giving away some of his finest silver cutlery, just to take pleasure in Lobelia’s disgusted and imaginative remarks. Biblo did not stay in The Shire for long however, as being so far away from Thorin made the halfling feel lonely, and he worried for his loves safety.

After just two moons, Erebor was beginning to feel as though no dwarf had ever left its halls, with the hustle and bustle of daily life returning. More and more dwarves from far and wide came through the gates to their homeland, and there were regular parties and celebrations, where the Company of Thorin Oakenshield were always prepared to tell the tales of their journey. Full moon celebrations seemed as though they were to become a new tradition in the reborn dwarf Kingdom, and it only felt right to Bilbo that he should ask Thorin in front of everyone on such a night.

After the meals had been finished the conversation in the room turned to a low mumble as everyone drank their wine and ale, or sat back and smoked. Thorin sat at the head of a long table in the centre of the main hall, with Bilbo on his right, and his sister Dis on his left, followed by the members of the company on both sides, then other relations, warriors, and advisors filling up the rest of the seats. There were two more tables on each side of the same size and length, filled with dwarves, and smaller tables dotted around walls of the room. Bilbo had eaten very little, for his nerves had a negative effect on his stomach. He tapped his foot and bit his lip as be looked at Thorin, who was smiling absentmindedly, looking around the table. He was so happy to finally be there, in the place that was rightfully his. He still had terrors at night of spiders and orcs and dragons, but Bilbo was always there when he awoke, to hold and take care of him.

Bilbo inhaled loudly, and Thorin turned his head suddenly to focus on him.  
"Another successful evening," Thorin declared, grinning and nudging Bilbo's foot under the table. Bilbo wasn't sure how to reply. He stared at the dwarf and remained silent, fearing that if he said anything other than what he planned he would lose his courage. He nodded sharply, looking away from Thorin and fidgeting in his chair. Thorin noticed the hobbits nervousness and furrowed his brow. He turned in his seat and leant closer to Bilbo, reaching under the table for the hobbits knee. The contact made Bilbo jump, which caught Fili and Kilis attention. The brothers nudged each other and tried to look as though they weren't paying attention, with their heads close together as they muttered and glanced at their uncle. Bilbo saw the concern in Thorin's face, and opened his mouth but words could not form. He coughed as if to clear his throat and looked at the table in front of him. He placed his hand over Thorin's, which was clasped tight on the hobbits thigh, and stroked the soft hair on the dwarf’s fingers and took another breath.

'Bilbo?' the king asked.  
Thorin had always had a fear since the start of their relationship that Bilbo would return to The Shire because the dwarf way of life was not to his liking. Worse, he feared that Bilbo would no longer want him at all.  
Suddenly Bilbo stood up, and took a swig of ale from his cup. A few scattered dwarves glanced over but then returned quickly to their conversations. Bilbo put his hands in the pockets of his waistcoat, then quickly took them out and started running his fingers through his hair, rubbing creases out of his trousers, pulling stray pieces of fluff from his shoulders. All the while Thorin watched every movement with a now blank expression, waiting.  
"What's going on here?" Bofur called excitedly, the rest of the company began to turn and stare, nudging watching and pointing.  
"Speech!" Bombur spat through a mouthful of bread.  
"Yes, speech!" Kili shouted, picking up a plate and knocking it with a spoon, and where Kili went Fili followed.  
Soon the whole company was shouting, whistling, clattering cutlery and stomping their feet. Thorin did not look at them, waiting for the hobbit to signal that there was nothing to worry for. Bilbo took and deep breath in and a sharp breath out, then lifting up his hand to everyone, nodding and smiling.  
"Alright! Alright, calm down!" he said, giving a reassuring smile to Thorin, who relaxed but only slightly.

"I-I-I don't know the dwarven way of doing things," he began, taking note that the room had suddenly become quieter, "but the sentiment is still there and the uh... the-the-the um hobbit way I feel is just as good a way as any and um... Uh, I... I..."  
He looked around the room at the expectant faces and suddenly felt that maybe this wasn't the best way. What if Thorin said no? In front of all of these folk? Bilbo couldn't think of any reason to be turned down. They had discussed weddings and marriage and adopting children plenty of times before, and Bilbo had always been under the impression that Thorin would ask him to marry, but it had never happened. So Bilbo took it upon himself, for he could not wait any longer.

It was always strange for Bilbo to be in any position where he was above Thorin, and right now with, the dwarf seated, Bilbo was a head taller. He turned to the dwarf and held out a hand. Thorin looked at in wonder and took it, his strong, large, battle hardened hand enveloping Bilbo's soft, pink fingers.  
"Thorin Oakenshield, I-"  
"SPEAK UP, LAD!" Dwalin shouted, a few dwarves cheered in agreement. Bilbo closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them Thorin's face was so full of love and hope and concern, his eyes bright and expectant. Bilbo's fears seemed to melt away and the awful feeling in his stomach subsided. He was loved, and he could see he was.  
"Thorin Oakenshield," he began again, quickly glancing at Dwalin with a smirk, "I don't know what is custom for a dwarf in such an occasion, but I think that the hobbit way will have to do for now." He cleared his throat.  
"My father gave my mother a bunch of flowers, but they were no ordinary flowers. No, they were forget-me-nots which were incidentally my mother’s favourite flower and in The Shire are regularly used as... as um..." his voice trailed off at the end. He let go of Thorin's hand, which remained in the air in front of him for a moment before dropping under the table. Bilbo fumbled in his pocket and pulled out something, hiding it in his palm so no one could see.  
"You see, even though forget-me-nots are small, and pale, and can be quite insignificant on their own or hen compared to other flowers, we in The Shire see them as symbols of strong and long lasting... Long lasting true love."

At that last word Thorin's shoulders slumped and he sat back in his chair, but a smile spread across his face so widely he could barely contain himself. Dwarves did not show romantic affection publicly, and it would be considered highly unlike a king for Thorin to embrace or kiss Bilbo, even holding hands as done moment before had caused a few grimaces, gasps, and turning of heads. Thorin covered his mouth, trying to disguise it as scratching his beard, but he was shaking. He knew what was going to happen. Bilbo opened his hand wider and whatever whatever was inside.  
"You see, forget-me-nots from The Shire seem to last a lot longer than other pressed flowers. I am far from home-", he faltered, shaking his head and starting again. "I am far from The Shire and there are no forget-me-nots in these parts, so when I returned to Bag End a while ago I set my mind to finding something."

Bilbo took a step closer to Thorin and opened his hand slowly, revealing a ring.  
It was large and silver, with a clear orb that held two faded blue forget-me-nots. Nearby dwarves stood up and craned their heads to see, but Bilbo kept it shielded just for him and Thorin, who was staring as if it were the most precious of gems or pieces of gold in all of Erebor.  
"This is a ring," Bilbo said loud enough for all to hear, but still not letting anyone see, "and rather than pick some new flowers I dug all around Bag End looking for the book in which my mother had kept her pressed her forget-me-nots. Amongst all my boxes and cases and bags I hid the book and when I returned... well, I spoke to a few silversmiths who had been sworn to secrecy…” Bilbo paused to look at Thorin whose eyes scanned the company quickly to see who the ring maker was, but no one was giving anything away. When he looked back up at Bilbo he leant forward so that his arms rested on his thighs, waiting for Bilbo to continue.

“Yes, uh, sworn to secrecy…” Bilbo muttered, fidgeting with the ring so much that he almost dropped it.  
“And I had two of my mother’s pressed flowers put into this ring. You see, one flower is…” The hobbit had quite began to lose his nerve. His legs felt weak and his hands were shaking like leaves, his tongue dried and stomach felt heavy.  
“One flower is…?” Thorin wondered aloud. His voice was quiet and small, which was something special that he did only in front of Bilbo. It meant that he was completely and fully trusting and comfortable in what Bilbo was doing. Bilbo smiled and stood up straighter.  
“One flower symbolises the hobbit making the offer, and hopefully, gods willing, the other flower is the person accepting the love… accepting the offered that is being, um… offered to them.”  
There was a groan from down the table that made Bilbo turn his head in surprise and Thorin turn in what could only be annoyance. The culprit was Balin.  
“Ugh, c’mon, lad! Get on with it! We’ve only been waiting for months, just get it over with and be happy!” The old dwarf lifted a glass, and a few dwarves around the room laughed and cheered. Thorin chuckled and was surprised when he turned back to Bilbo who was now leant on the floor on one knee.

“Thorin, please. I have loved you as best I can. I have followed you through... through all imaginable perils and-and-and I could not… could not go on any longer without asking. We have never said it aloud to each other, and I know that shouldn’t matter because we have shown each other our feelings in plenty of other ways-” that last comment received a few giggles and jeers from the slightly drunken members of the company. Bilbo blushed and licked his lips. He couldn’t take it anymore.  
“Marry me,” he breathed, sounding desperate. “Marry me, Thorin. I want nothing more than-“

Thorin was off his seat and kneeling on the stone floor with Bilbo in a second. He took the hobbits face in his hands and kissed him so sweetly and tenderly that it caught Bilbo’s breath. Some dwarves cheered and banged tables, an applause breaking out across the hall. Others could be heard muttering “well really” and “how vulgar”, but the couple were deaf to it all.  
When they pulled their faces away, Thorin’s eyes were brimming with tears as he still held onto the hobbits face. With one hand Bilbo stroked away the tears that fell down the dwarfs cheeks, and with the other he clutched the ring. Thorin was breathing deeply, he felt dizzy with happiness.

“I love you,” Thorin moaned. “I will continue to love you if death pulls us apart, and I will love you when we are reunited in the halls of our forefathers, and the Fates be damned if I am not allowed to love you for all of eternity after that, Bilbo Baggins!” Thorin was shaking so hard, it worried Bilbo to see him like this. He pulled Thorin closer and kissed his forehead, breathing in the earthy metallic scent he had come to desire so.  
“I love you,” the hobbit whispered. He wrapped his arms around Thorin’s neck and buried his face into his shoulder, pulling the dwarf so tightly to him that he never wanted to let go. Thorin held his arms around Bilbo’s waist and was about to kiss the Hobbits neck when he remembered all that were in the hall with him. For the moment this would do, until they were alone.

“I love you,” he whispered, over and over and over, not believing that he would ever fully be able to show the hobbit how deep and true the love of a dwarf is.

“I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first full proper fic I have ever written or attempted.  
> I quite like it, although Im sure there are a few blinding faults but I just wanted to write something nice and lovely.
> 
> Helpful criticism is appreciated!  
> Please be nice x


End file.
